This cast bronze statue stands over nine feet tall and is mounted on a granite base of about 9 1/2 feet. Josiah is standing, dressed in a robe which is held up slightly by his left hand, as he faces right. On the base are two bronze plaques with the following inscriptions:
JOSIAH QUINCY
1772 - 1864
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE 1804
CONGRESS 1805 - 1815
JUDGE OF MUNICIPAL COURT 1822
MAYOR OF BOSTON 1823 - 1828
PRESIDENT HARVARD UNIVERSITY 1829 -1845
ERECTED A.D. 1879
FROM A FUND BEQUEATHED
TO THE CITY OF BOSTON BY
JONATHAN PHILLIPS
Josiah Quincy, as mayor of Boston, pushed forward the building project for Faneuil Marketplace despite some opposition. His vision and determination has given the city one of its center piece attractions. The large, central building,
Quincy Market of this historic area was named in his honor.
Josiah Quincy was born in Boston on February 4, 1772. He was educated at Phillips Academy and Harvard University. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1805-1813 and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1821 – 1822 before becoming the second elected mayor of Boston in 1823, serving one six-year term.
Leaving public office, Quincy became the 16th President of Harvard University, his alma mater, serving for 16 years from 1829–1845. He died on July 1, 1864, on his farm in Quincy, Massachusetts where he had spent most of his retirement years.
(The foregoing based on the Wikipedia article: Josiah Quincy III).
The Old City Hall was completed in 1865, an early example of Second Empire style architecture, and was in active use until 1969 when a new, larger facility was built. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971, and has received a number of architectural preservation awards including, Award for Preservation, Boston Society of Architects (1973), Honor Award, American Institute of Architects (1976), National Preservation Honor Award, National Trust for Historic Preservation (1990)[See: Old City Hall and FA+A Architects]
The larger than life statue of Benjamin Franklin, also in the courtyard, is probably one of the most visited and photographed statues in Boston as it is along the famous self-guided "Freedom Trail." Although originally placed at Bulfinch's Courthouse, dedicated Sept. 17, 1856, it was relocated to the newly built city and rededicated on Sept. 18, 1865. The relief plaques were added sometime between 1856-1857. This was the first statue of a public figure erected in the city of Boston, in honor of the sesquincentennial of Franklin's birth.
This eight-foot statue of Franklin is the work of noted American sculptor, Richard Saltonstall Greenough, 1819-1904, who also created the front and back panels. The other two panels are the work of famed American sculptor Thomas Ball (1819-1911), who created this statue of Josiah Quincy, although his best known sculpture is probably that of George Washington on horseback located in the Boston Common. All four panels were cast by the Ames Mfg. Co. of Chicopee, Massachusetts.
References:
Smithsonian Art Inventory Catalog
Old City Hall
DCMemorials
Boston Discovery Guide
Wikipedia: Old City Hall (Boston)
Wikipedia: Richard Saltonstall Greenough
Wikipedia: Thomas Ball (artist)
Wikipedia: Benjamin Franklin
FA+A Architects